Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences, A Parent’s Complete Guide to Language Development

All children go through periods of saying “ting” for “thing” or “feets” for “feet,” and no two children learn to speak on exactly the same schedule. This informative, reassuring guide helps parents and teachers identify normal speech development and potential problems, with advice on when and where to seek help, how to support your child’s prescribed speech program, and how to lessen the risk of speech or language difficulties. Easy-to-understand question-and-answer format; guidelines for assessing your child’s speech and language development; practical strategies for coping with stuttering, poor listening or memory skills, vocal fatigue or hoarseness, ear infections and hearing and much more; and ways to enhance speech and language development that both you and your child will enjoy.

An informal and entertaining yet authoritative look at the science of babies minds. The three research psychologists, all of whom are parents, and two of whom, Meltzoff and Kuhl, are married to each other, write about child development as though they were speaking directly to parents they know. As their title indicates, the authors find parallels between babies and scientists: both, they say, formulate theories, make and test predictions, seek explanations, do experiments, and revise what they know based on new evidence. They show specifically how babies learn about people and objects, and how they acquire language.

Parents, educators and general-interest readers will relish a fine book which surveys how language develops in kids. Why isn’t language developing for so many? This explores links between reading, writing, listening and speaking, revealing how these are learned and what happens in the process breaks down at various stages.

Designed for parents who suspect their child may have some type of communication problem. Explains what is considered ‘normal’ for a child’s development then describes symptoms of various common disorders. Demonstrates how to distinguish between a problem that will probably be outgrown, from one that requires outside help. Also explains how to get help, what tests are likely to be done and how to understand the diagnosis. Includes activities parents can do with their children at home to help them progress.

Every parent eagerly awaits the day his or her child will speak for the first time. For millions of mothers and fathers, however, anticipation turns to anxiety when those initial, all-important words are a long time coming. Many worried parents are reassured that their child is “just a late talker,” but unfortunately, that is not always the case.

This book uses the Building Blocks model. The Building Blocks model is practical, supported by research, and easy to implement. It identifies ten areas important to school success (the building blocks), divided into three levels:

1. the foundational level includes attention and impulse control, emotion and behavior, self-esteem, and learning environment blocks
2. the symbolic processing and memory level contains the visual, auditory, and motor skills blocks
3. the conceptual level comprises using strategies and thinking with language and images